The Cliffhanger Challenge stories
by Hogwarts Online II
Summary: Stories with out endings written about the characters of Harry Potter written by the students of Hogwarts Online II for the August challenge.
1. By: Karin: Luna: Catching Stars

******Title:** Catching Stars

******Character:** Luna Lovegood

******House: **Ravenclaw

******Name:** Narcissa Weasly/Karin

"Luna what are you doing out of bed this time of the night?" Lena Lovegood's voice was dreamy as she looked up at the stars through a hole in the ceiling. Lena was almost identical to her daughter, the only thing that told you that Luna hadn't played with the time turner was that Lena's eyes was dark blue, while Luna's eyes had the same color as ice.

Luna, who was standing at the door, took a step in to her mother's room. In her hands she had an old box. The box was made of paper, but had the same color as rust.

"Daddy promised me we were going to catch stars when he came back from the ministry, but I want to catch stars now. He said the stars shine clearest just minutes before the day break. A shiny star will look wonderful in my today-box."

Lena leaned down and hugged her daughter. Then she picked up an old crown made of small toys from one of the many shelves in the room. She put the crown on her daughters head, and picked a similar crown to put on her own head. She gave her daughter a big smile and kissed her nose. "Oh, lovely. Your father is a wise man".

Luna giggled and nodded. Luna loved her parents more than anything else. When the whole family was in Diagon Ally or in some muggle stores, many people would look at them. She had never seen someone else get that look from so many different people. Luna saw this as proof that her family was wonderful and special. Why would you look at something if you didn't find it interesting and beautiful?

"Mum?"

"Yes, my little garden gnome?" Many persons would take this as an insult, but in the Lovegood household it was a compliment.

"Can we catch stars?"

"Of course we can, but the sky can still be darker, and it is in the darkest night the stars shine clearest, just as your father said. We can only try to catch the stars when in is as dark as it possible can be. Still there is some time left. Can I see what you have in your today-box?"

Luna nodded and put down the rusty box at the floor so she could open it. The inner walls of the box was dark blue, but it was hard to see because the box was so filled up with different things.

"When I was climbing in the apple tree and searching for Snorkacks I found this!" Inside her little hand there was a bug, it was green with yellow wings. "It is a _hevoish_. You need to be careful. If it get irritated it will explode, like a firework. This is the only hevoish in the whole world", She said seriously.

"Interesting, very interesting," you could see that this wasn't something that Lena just said, she really did look interested. Carefully, she picked up the bug from her daughters hand and moved it close to her face. "Such a beautiful creature."

The bug exploded in a miniature firework and then disappeared. It was Luna's high expectations and undeveloped magic that made the bug explode, but she didn't know that.

"Mum it exploded! You made it explode! This is just like when dad blew up the kitchen! Did you see it?" It was hard to tell if Luna was exited or upset, maybe both.

"Oh, Luna. I did. When I saw the wonderful light of the hevoish it also came to my mind that it is dark enough to catch stars."

The hevoish was quickly forgotten. "I'll get the catcher!"

Luna was already by the door when her mother's voice stopped her. "No Luna, not tonight."

"What?" Lunas eyes filled with tears. "You said, you promised! Never break a promise!"

"Of course, but tonight we are going to try a new way." Lena said with calming voice, she didn't want her daughter to be said, never.

"How?" Luna sounded interested, but still a bit sad, she wasn't sure what to think.

"I have worked a lot with a new spell, I want to see if it works to catch stars." Lena picked up her wand and made small circles in the air as she spoke. "I'm sure it catch _something_. And if we don't catch the stars, you can go and get the old catcher. Does that sound good little garden gnome?"

"It sounds excellent Mum", Luna said with a smile. She was just as interested as her mother to see if the spell worked.

Lena looked up at the stars and smiled. "_Carpe Stellalux_," she whispered.

The stars started to shine brighter and brighter. Luna, who still stand by the door couldn't take her eyes of the now multi colored lights that came closer and closer. The lights started to spin faster and faster around Lena. Luna didn't know what to do, was this supposed to happen? So she just watched. Soon all you could see of Lena was her face. Then only her dark blue eyes. The light got brighter than what Luna thought was possible. Now she couldn't see her mother at all in the light.


	2. By: Prissie: Hermione: Fairytale

_**Title:**_Fairytale?

_**Character:**_Hermione Granger

_**Name:**_Principi Phantasia (Prissie)_  
_**House: **Ravenclaw

The war was over. It was another school year. I came back to finish my seventh year, while Harry and Ron chose not to. Instead, they were elected Aurors. I'm quite proud of them for that achievement.

Not too many from our year returned, and those who did, were mostly Ravenclaws. I believe that the rest felt it unnecessary to return. They have, after all, undergone _some_ _sort of _Seventh Year. Plus, the castle brought back unbearable memories to some, after what had happened in its grounds.

Neville returned, under his grandmother's pressure that he finish his education _properly_; though she'd been much easier on him after his contribution throughout the war. There were only two of us from Gryffindor, another two from Hufflepuff, six from Ravenclaw, and very much to our surprise, one (and only one) from Slytherin. Guess who? Draco Malfoy.

Everyone was shocked to see him return, but he kept quiet and his head down, so they chose to ignore him. There was that sense of relief that Voldemort was finally gone, and nobody wanted to disrupt that peace by picking fights. Still, glares were often thrown his way.

Hogwarts was a different place now. Everyone was much quieter and still trying to cope with all the loss and aftermath of what had happened. The building showed no signs of damage, though, as it had been repaired to perfection (or at least to the way it used to be). But there was an addition to the grounds. A memorial stone had been built hear the edge of the Forbidden Forest, in remembrance and to honour all those who died heroic deaths in the Battle of Hogwarts.

In the beginning, the ten of us (all those who returned, with the exception of Draco Malfoy) stuck together. After all, our numbers were few, and we understood each other better than we understood anyone else – for we knew each other well and have been through the same things together. Returning had also given us a special bond.

There was Ginny, but she had her own friends. Besides, she also had Head duties (McGonnagall only thought it fair to give the Heads position to those who were in their supposed years), and was busied by Quidditch practices. Not to mention she was an extremely popular girl. She was also still in a state due to her brother's death. So, as you can see, she had a lot going on for her. We only got to see her once in a while, except, of course, during lessons.

Everyone had their own 'group'. Everyone except Draco Malfoy. He ate alone, walked around the halls alone, and even sat in classes alone. We learned to pity him a little – just enough so that we invited him to our study sessions; which he accepted, after a _long_ hesitant pause. I was surprised he didn't decline our offer, but I guess he might've been tired of being alone. After all, humans _are_ social beings.

During our first study session _together_, he sat quietly in a corner, and went by almost unnoticed. He didn't speak _once_, and no one bothered to include him in any conversation either. It was as if he didn't exist.

I half-expected him not to show up at the next meeting, and was mildly surprised when he did. This time, he wasn't as silent, though. He offered an answer to a question we were debating on, and though he spoke in a quiet voice, it wasn't that quiet at all, since everyone literally stopped what they were doing and stared at him. You could've heard a pin drop.

After composing myself (I stopped and stared, too) and noticing that most of the others haven't stopped gaping, I felt kind of bad for him and attempted to turn their attention on me instead.

I cleared my throat. "Well, that's an interesting view on the matter, _Draco_. What do you guys think about it?" I addressed them.

There was a minute or two of stuttering and mumbling before we finally proceeded with the discussion. I saw Draco breathe a small sigh of relieve, and, I might be mistaken, but I _think_ he gave me a _tiny_ smile of gratitude.

And that was the beginning of Draco Malfoy's progression from a bad to a good image. He continued to voluntarily speak up during our study sessions, each time with more confidence than the previous time. And though everyone clearly still felt uncomfortable with his speaking up, their reactions were never as bad as the first time round.

Draco's somehow lost all of his old attitude; it was like we barely knew him anymore! There was one word that can be used to describe him now: _quiet_. Can you believe it? Quiet and timid. He still spoke his mind, though, but in a _much_ more polite (or maybe reserved) manner.

If you think about it, his change shouldn't be too surprising. After all, Draco Malfoy _has_ gone through quite some phases in his life. At first he was that cowardly kid with the fearless façade which we all looked right through, then the hateful teenager who was in all honesty just a frightened little boy, and now the quiet and reserved young adult. So many masks, but one thing never changed: his arrogance. That is, until now. He hasn't hinted any of it _yet_, but you never know what he might be hiding. But, I don't know, maybe people grow up and change?

Well, we slowly warmed up to him one by one. He was no longer only invited to study sessions, but also to free-period gatherings and Hogsmeade trips.

His hanging out with us attracted attention from the younger students. Once, a first year girl even came up to him in the hallway and asked him why he was with the Dark side during the war. How bold of her! Well, she's a Gryffindor, but still! We watched warily for his response. We had thought he would've finally snapped and shouted for her to get lost, but he didn't. Instead, he smiled kindly at her and told her _everything_. Literally _everything_. His family's involvement, and the things he was forced to do. The girl kept nodding with wide-eyed fascination. She was, after all, only a first year, and getting to know all this must have been quite a lot for her to take in!

People started gathering round to watch and listen, but Draco didn't acknowledge their presence at all. Upon finishing his story, he merely said, "Excuse me, but I need to go to class," before pushing his way through the crowd. They made way for him without a single glare! Only sheepish looks and averted eyes. I guess they'd never considered his side of the story before.

One way or another, Draco became a sensation at school. His status changed from 'outcast' to 'popular guy'. It was weird, but it happened. The weirder thing was that he didn't revert to his old ways after all that.

Girls came up to him, to express their sympathy and offer him words of comfort, and all that jazz. I'd say they were just searching for a reason to talk to him, those _flirts_. I don't know why, it just bothered me to see them flashing sickeningly sweet smiles at Draco. Gasp. Could I be jealous? No. No way! I _could not_ be jealous for Draco Malfoy's attention, it's just not possible! But apparently I was. Jealous. I think. Ugh, I feel like some school girl romantic! Well, technically I _am_ a school girl, but I'm supposed to be more mature than that! This was all so frustrating! And how could I have fallen for him? Draco Malfoy! No idea. It just happened. I felt silly. And it's not like we'd ever end up together; I know he thinks he's too good for me, and maybe he is! Or not. I don't know anymore!

All I know was that, yes, I think I've turned into a school girl romantic. My heart would beat just a little bit faster whenever I catch a glimpse of him, I'd have a problem forming a coherent sentence whenever I'm having a conversation with him. So that was how I was feeling when he approached me in the middle of February.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and I was strolling by the Great Lake, enjoying the spring air.

"Hey, Hermione," he'd called out to me, catching up with my shorter strides.

I stopped walking and spun around to face him. "Hi, what's up?" I smiled.

"I… was just wondering if you'd like to go to the Valentine Ball with me."

I could hardly believe my ears. "W-what?"

"Would you like to go to the Valentine Ball with me?" he repeated his question.

"But… why?" I asked.

He looked slightly confused and answered unsurely, "Well… I don't know, it's your choice… But that's alright if you already have a date," he added quickly.

"No… I meant, why would you ask me to the ball?"

"Huh? What kind of question is that?" he looked more confused than ever.

"Just answer it." I said.

"Because… I like you," he simply said.

I narrowed my eyes. "Is this a bet? 'Cause if it is, I'd just save you all the trouble and say no."

He looked incredulous, "No, this isn't a bet! What a ridiculous notion!"

I sighed. "Come on, Draco. This is the real world we're talking about. I've been through enough to know that life's no fairytale. You may be Prince Charming, but I'm no Cinderella! I'm not half as good at heart as she is; I'm not even half as pretty to begin with! Hell, Cinderella doesn't even exist! Do you think _any_ girl could be that kind and obedient and _perfect_?"

He stared at me as if he didn't understand a word I said, "Why are you going on about Cinderella?"

"Well, because!" I wasn't even reasoning properly, I had so much to say, "You're Prince Charming! Popular, rich, good-looking, everyone likes you, and the list goes on! And me… I'm just the bookworm; the know-it-all," I ended weakly.

His face was incomprehensible as he replied, "Well, you could be Belle… And I could be the Beast… Then we would match."

I widened my eyes, "You know about Muggle fairytales?"

"I've read some," he shrugged. "They're interesting, not many Muggle stories contain magic in them," he grinned.

I shook my head then returned to the topic. "But you look nothing like the Beast!" I scoffed.

He smirked, "We could pretend I was never cursed."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. But like I said, life's no fairytale!"

He sighed, "Hermione, if any one of us were too good for the other, it would be you."

I was about to reply when I caught sight of Astoria Greengrass a little to our right. I had the feeling she wanted to talk to Draco. So I said, "There's Astoria Greengrass. Popular, beautiful, rich… and she likes you. She's your perfect match. Much better than I am. Plus, she's a _Pureblood_."

"Oh, come on, Hermione. You know I don't care about all that blood crap," he said, exasperated.

"But you were the one who used to…" I started.

"That was my Father," he said shortly. Then he looked down.

"You miss him, don't you?" I asked quietly.

He looked away, "I'm… just upset about our situation."

I touched his arm, "He'll get out of Azkaban soon enough."

With that, I backed away with a rueful smile goodbye.

I sighed. That girl was impossible.

I approached Astoria, wanting to get things over with as soon as possible. I could see her start waving at me the moment I turned towards her. I smiled back in response.

In a few strides, I was standing before her. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off even before she'd started.

"Hello, Astoria. I'm sorry, but I have to cut this conversation short. Look, I have been notified about how you feel towards me. However, I'm sorry to tell you that I do not reciprocate those feelings. See, you're a lovely girl, but the thing is, I like someone else. And somehow, for Merlin knows what reason, she does not think it possible for me to feel that way. She is convinced that she is not good enough for me. And she's very stubborn – which she has every right to be, since she is usually right. But this time, she's wrong. So right now, I need to convince her that she is much, much better than she gives herself credit for. I wonder how I best do it…"

I took no time in reaching the Fat Lady's portrait. Now, it's just the matter of getting in there...

It appears luck was on my side today, I spotted that familiar first year girl who had changed my life – at least at Hogwarts. It seems I'm going to have to add my debt to her, for I was about to ask her for a favor.

"Hey… Lucy, was it?" I greeted her.

She looked up in surprise, "Yeah… Can I help you with something?" She must be wondering why I was waiting by the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Err… Could you please get Hermione Granger for me? I need to talk to her…" I stated.

"Sure… Wait here," she said.

**Author's Note:** So, what do you think happened next? And how did it end? Leave your opinions in your reviews; I'd love to know your thoughts!


	3. By: Lune: Lily: Easier to Say

**Title: **Easier to Say

**Character: **Lily Evans

**House:** Gryffindor

**Name: **Eccentric11/Lune

Lily Evan's POV:

"Spill." My roommate Marlene said.

"You won't… approve it." I hesitated.

"Still, I need to know." She was glaring at me. I didn't answer. I knew he was someone special as soon as he told me I was a witch. He had been a very good friend to me since, despite the people he hang out with, or that he seemed to be interested in something I will never be a fan of. Until now, I'm still not sure how special he was, or what I meant by special. He's just…

something. Lately, it had felt different between us; there was something more.

We still talk normally to each other, but there's this spark, a spark that I believed could light up into a firework if we wanted to. We each kept the feelings to ourselves though, at least I am. Because having a friendship that had to somehow work it out between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin meant we couldn't risk anything much if we really want to keep it that way. I had to know, eventually; I can't just let it all be a 'what-if', can I?

"I won't tell you, unless it works out." I pointed out as if it was a written rule.

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then you'll never know." I grinned.

"What? That's unfair!"

"Life's not fair, Marlene." I shook my head and then climbed on my four-poster bed.

"Then promise me you'll ask him out. So I'll know about it soon."

"I might. I don't know yet."

"Promise?" Marlene had her ways of getting what she wanted in the end.

"I promise I'll try?"

"Fine."

Well, someone had to get me to build up enough courage and ask this guy out, right?

Right. From then, it'll be easy. I'll just have to find a way to spontaneously ask one of my best friends out and see his reaction. Easy, very easy to say.

"H-hey!" I spotted him near the Great Hall.

"Hey Lily, didn't see you there." He smiled. "Lunch?"

"Yeah, but I was thinking of having a quick lunch and go do my potions homework in the library. You up for helping me?" I just needed to find a way to get us alone. I hope he didn't find it weird since I never really had trouble making potions… although I had to admit that he was better at potions than I am.

"Sure. Then you can help me with my transfiguration." He chuckled. I narrowed my eyes.

"You and your friends aren't going to transfigure a first year again, are you?"

"No, of course not."

"And what's that in your hand?"

"Nothing! Now let's have lunch."

"It better be." I muttered.

As usual, pairs of eyes are immediately directed towards us. We had been friends since our first day at Hogwarts, but still they haven't got used to it.

"Don't mind them," he muttered, more to himself than to me, as we walked pass his group of Slytherin friends.

Most of the time, we picked a seat at the edge of a table so that everyone else can have more seats. (They always keep some distance from us, and picking a seat there would mean they don't have to avoid us from both directions) We ate our lunch rather quietly, with occasional conversations about how our day had been, but nothing more.

I get more nervous every second. Is this how it feels like for a guy? Before they ask a girl out? Or is it like a game to them? I will never find out.

He finished his lunch quietly, and as soon as I finished mine he stood up and took my books with him.

"You don't have to-" He raised his eyebrows and smiled at me.

"Do you want to go to the library or just stand here and argue about who gets to bring your books?"

"Library." I sighed.

We walked down the hallways and passed a group of first years running away from fifth years. I swore I saw his lips curl into a smile. So I hit him in the arm.

"What?"

"That's bullying." I pointed out.

"I gave that up that time you told me to." He reminded me. "But that doesn't mean I've completely changed." He said in a quieter tone. Sometimes I doubt my choice in guys.

We sat in the library and I almost decided to not ask him out that day when it just slipped out.

"Would you go out with me on the next Hogsmeade trip?" I covered my mouth, afraid what I said was wrong.

"Why wouldn't I?" I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Glad to hear that. The Three Broomsticks, okay?" I smiled, and we carried on studying like it never happened.

I was back in the girl's dorm by 4 in the afternoon.

"It wasn't as hard as I thought!" I exclaimed.

"I told you it would do you good."

"You did?" Marlene paused, then laughed.

"One way or another."

"So, next Hosmeade trip, The Three Broomsticks." I clarified.

"But everyone goes there! Word will spread like wildfire." Marlene exclaimed.

"I know, but they would just think we're going out as friends."

"Friends? As if such thing exists for you guys." Marlene scoffed.

"It does! Here's your transfiguration essay, I made a few changes." I was glad I changed the topic.

3rd person POV:

Marlene was feeling great- transfiguration essay done, and Lily finally asking someone out! About time, she thought. But Marlene needed to check for herself, so when she bumped into him in the hallways, she just had to ask.

"Finally going on _the _date, Potter?" Marlene teased.

"What date?" He looked confused.

"Don't pretend like you don't know anything. She told me everything. It's okay, I'm just making sure."

"What are you talking about?" James Potter was still lost in the conversation.

"Do you know what she's talking about, Sirius?"

"I don't reckon." Sirius answered.

"Well, next Hogsmeade trip… The Three Broomsticks? Ring any bells?"

"Nope."

"Merlin's beard, you've been trying to take this girl out for years and now that she asked you out, you won't even admit it!" For some reason, Marlene got pretty emotional over this matter.

"I think I would've realized if a girl I really like asked me out." James laughed.

"Well Lily did, right?"

"What?"

"Ughh, nevermind." Marlene couldn't understand, she thought James would have showed his date off to everyone by now.

"Well, whatever this is, I'll be there." James whispered to Sirius just as Marlene left, slightly frustrated.

The day of the Hogsmeade trip, Marlene was really scared James wouldn't show up, especially after not admitting about the date.

"Your bloody date won't admit that you asked him out, you know. I'm just saying, don't raise your hopes too high for today, Lily."

"I understand why he won't admit it. I don't mind." Lily said calmly.

"Well I mind." Marlene rolled her eyes. Lily sighed.

"How do I look?"

"Perfect. Hurry, The Three Broomsticks can get pretty crowded. I'll be over at Honeydukes, yeah?"

"Okay."

Lily Evan's POV:

I took a deep breath before entering The Three Broomsticks. I waved at the person I'm looking at, but for some reason two people waved back…

"James?"


	4. By: Dest: Ginny: The Open Air

**Title:**The Open Air

**Character: ** Ginny Weasley

**House: **Gryffindor

**Name: **TisMyDestiny; Dest

The day was calm, serene. Clouds filled the sky and the sun didn't bother to make an appearance all morning. It wasn't hot, nor was it cold. To me, it was the perfect kind of day. It made me feel relaxed inside. I felt like I didn't need to rush anything what so ever, which was why I decided to ride my broom to work that morning. I still loved riding, even though I had been out of Hogwarts for about 10 years.

I lived alone in a flat above London since graduation, so it wasn't a really far ride from there to the Ministry where I worked alongside my best friends in the Auror department. Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all there. To me, that was a perfect job. Hermione was leaving in about a month to become a healer. She only became an Auror after the war ended to help gather up rouge Death Eaters. That was alright though. I mean, Hermione lived with Ron. I would still see her.

Harry had been confirmed as the head Auror right after the war; something he didn't really like at first, but decided to take. After all, it was his dream job. He had immediately got everyone he deemed worthy on his team. That meant all of us; the main people from Dumbledore's Army: Ron, Hermione, myself, Neville, and Luna.

Luna had left right after the majority of the Death Eaters were taken care of and the chaos was over with. She left so she could go back to school and finish her education before taking over her father's position as Editor of the Quibbler.

Hermoine had started healer training after taking her N.E.W.T.S, without going back to seventh year. Of course, she passed all of them with flying colours. She had just finished and was working part time in both places, but decided one was enough. She chose being a Healer.

Ron was happy where he was. With Harry at his side the entire time, he would never leave the Auror department. Although he, like Hermione, took his N.E.W.T.S, he barely passed his. Yet, he somehow managed to scrape enough to keep his job.

Harry had passed all except Potions, in which case the Ministry of Magic decided to overlook this. They said he had '_too much going on to focus on studies', _andHarry was okay with that. Since the war ended, he had been offered the position of Minister of Magic twice. Once was directly after the war, then again not even a year later when the new Minister died unexpectedly. Instead of saying yes, he gave his two cents in on the matter and suggested someone else. They took his suggestion seriously, of course.

Neville didn't bother with N.E.W.T.S. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but because the day before he was going to take them, he was asked to become Minister of Magic. He thought it of as a great honor and took it. During his inauguration, he made sure to tell everyone that the reason for doing so was because he wanted to make his parents proud.

I, however, tried out for the Holy Head Harpies yesterday. I was immediately called back and was asked to be the new captain for next years season. The current one was retiring and they thought I was more fit than any on the team already. I accepted, of course. Today, I was giving my one month notice to Harry. He's going to be upset because he's losing yet another friend of his Aurors, but, I'm sure, he will be happy for me.

Relieved that I had remembered to put a disillusionment charm on myself before I left home this morning, I landed softly on the ground right in front of the telephone booth entrance. There was a man in front of me, trying to open the door. It seemed as if he was failing.

I put my hand over my mouth as I attempted to hide a giggle. Apparently, it didn't work.

"Who's there?" The man turned around as he stuffed his hand into his pocket and pulling out a wand. I stood shocked for a second before I looked up at his face. My mouth dropped open and my eyes became wide. There, standing before me, was none other than Draco Malfoy. "I just heard you laugh! I know someone's there!" Draco said again when I didn't answer. I looked around to make sure no one was looking, and tapped my own wand on my head, making myself become visible again.

"Hey, Malfoy," I greeted with a sly smile. I saw him stare with shock before slowing putting his wand back in his pocket.

"Weaslette?" Draco questioned with a confused look, almost as if he wasn't sure it was me.

"Yep, the one and only. Although, I wish you would stop calling me that," I told him honestly.

"Oh, right, sorry. What are you doing coming through the visitors entrance with a disillusionment charm on yourself?"

"I wanted to fly to work this morning. Gives me time to think things through." I was amazed he

hadn't really insulted me yet.

"Yeah, the open sky does help with clearing your mind. I understand. Ermm, can you help me work this, please?" At the end he added a smirk.

"Yeah, of course." I walked over to the phone booth and opened the door, offering him to step inside before myself, which he did. I saw him looking down on me with a weird look as he stepped beside me. It was almost as if he was checking me out. No, that can't be it.

"Ginny, you look amazing by the way," he told me with a slight wink, almost making my conclusion be realistic.

"Thanks! So do you. You don't look like a criminal anymore!" I laughed with him, as friendly as I could.

"I take that as a compliment," He answered with a slight chuckle before continuing, "Gin, I was wondering. Would you like to do me the honor of going out to dinner with me tonight?"

That didn't just come out of his mouth. Did it? Did Draco Malfoy really just ask me out on a date? Seriously? This was a sick dream.

"Like, on a date?" I questioned him.

"If you want it to be," Draco answered immediately. He _had _changed. He was different now. More mature and sophisticated, and he had always been good looking. Harry had broken up with me over a month ago for Hermione, who had been broken up with by Ron, for Luna. Maybe it was time for me to go out with someone.

"Sure, I'd love to," I answered him as we got to the atrium in time to see none other than my brother standing there staring at us.

"Ginny! What on Earth are you doing talk to _that!" _I gulped before turning to answered Ron.


	5. By: Tiff: Severus: You're what?

Title: **You're What?**

Character: **Severus Snape**

House: **Slytherin**

Name: **Dramionefan4life aka Tiff**

If you asked anyone in the Wizarding World who Severus Snape was, many would describe him as a dour, snarky man; a man who was known as a former Death Eater and spy for the Order of the Phoenix. He would be described as a person who would forever be alone and absolutely hates children.

Well, that is how someone would have described him before the Final Battle, which took place three months ago. It had been three months since Harry Potter defeated the evil Lord Voldemort. It had been three months since everyone watched the Boy-Who-Kept-Living almost die in the fight to kill Voldemort. It was three months ago that everyone saw a sight they never thought they'd ever see in their life: Severus Snape crying over a body, Harry Potter's to be exact.

What many didn't know is Severus and Harry had become very close since the beginning of Harry's second year at Hogwarts. Severus had noticed that Harry was thinner when he came back for his second year than when he left at the end of his first. Severus confronted Harry when he caught Harry stealing potions from him the first night back. He had seen the wounds that were all over Harry and though it took some convincing, Harry told him the full story of what happened to him during the summer. To say that Severus was not happy would be an understatement. That night, Severus promised to protect Harry and give him the life he deserved. By Christmas of that year, Severus had adopted Harry as his own and loved him like a son.

Due to exhaustion and depletion of his magical core, Harry had been unconscious for about a week. During that entire week, Severus never left his side. He had to make sure his son would be alright, despite Madam Pomfrey's assurance that he would be fine. It wasn't until Harry woke and assured his dad himself that he was fine that Severus finally left Harry's side.

The three months since then had been chaotic to say the least. The clean-up from the Battle had taken weeks, as did the rebuilding of the Castle. The Ministry had needed restructuring, which had just been completed within the past week or so. Kingsley Shacklebolt had been elected as the new Minister of Magic and was working on getting the Ministry back to the way it should be.

This brings us to today; the day before all the students would be returning to Hogwarts. Severus Snape was sitting in his office, the office of the Headmaster of Hogwarts, working on some last minute paperwork. He knew it was getting late and that he should probably just put off the rest of his work until tomorrow. His wife wouldn't be happy if he was late, actually, she would be furious. Tonight was the last family meal before the year would start. Harry was starting his final year of Hogwarts and therefore would not have much time for family dinners.

With a sigh, Severus decided to leave the rest of his work for the morning, knowing he would have enough time to finish it before the students arrived. He got up from his desk and walked down to his quarters in the dungeons.

He gave the password to the portrait guarding his quarters and walked in. There was no one in the living room, but from the smells coming from the kitchen he knew his wife was in there making dinner. Samantha was a half-blood, like him, and liked to do things around the house the muggle way. He didn't mind too much as Sam was a great cook.

"Smells good," he said as he walked into the kitchen.

"I hope so. Is everything set for the student's return tomorrow?" She leaned up and gave him a kiss when he reached her.

"Everything's ready. I just have some last minute paperwork to finish in the morning but that's it."

"Excellent. Where's Harry? He left early this morning and hasn't come back since."

"He's with Draco. Draco wanted to take him out to lunch or something like that. You know how those two are; they never want to be apart from each other more than they have to be."

Samantha laughed at her husband's statement, remembering when Harry and Draco began their relationship. Both were scared about telling their parents that they were gay. Draco was scared Lucius wouldn't like his only heir dating another male instead of a pure-blood female. The Malfoys surprised Draco when they not only did not care that their son was gay, but they were more than happy with his choice in a boyfriend. Severus and Samantha had not only known their son was gay but were more than happy with his choice in men.

"Yes, I suppose they are rather inseparable aren't they. Well I hope he gets home soon because dinner is almost done."

As if on cue, Harry came stumbling out of the Floo. Despite using the form of wizarding transportation since he had been adopted, Harry still fell every time he used the Floo.

"Hi Dad, Mum. Mhmm. Something smells good."

"Your father said the same thing when he got home." Samantha knew her boys loved her cooking, but it made her smile every time she got praised for it.

"Well, it does smell good. When can we eat? I'm starving and also have something to tell you."

"Didn't you go out with Draco? I thought he was taking you out to lunch or something."

Harry couldn't help but smile at the thought of his lunch with Draco. They had gone out to Harry's favorite restaurant in Muggle London. It was really romantic and Harry had loved the day so much. "Well yeah but I'm hungry again."

"Dinner should be about done if you guys want to set the table."

"Sure, Mum."

Harry and Severus set the table while Sam checked on dinner. Seeing it was done, she set it on the table and sat in her seat. The three Snapes made their plates and ate, each enjoying the wonderful dinner.

"So Harry," Severus started, "you said you had something to tell us, correct?" Harry nodded. "Well your mother and I have news of our own to share. Who should go first?"

"Um…I'll go first. Dad, Mum, what I want to tell you is…well you see…I…"


	6. By: Kara: Ron: Unfair

**Title: **Unfair

**Character: **Ronald Weasley

**House: **Hufflepuff

**Name: **Love From a Muggle/ Kara

Hushed whispers came as Ron entered his family's home. The tall redhead prepared himself for the worse as he entered the kitchen. Huddled around the table were his parents, Bill and Fleur, and George, and Charlie. They were quieter than usual which made Ron uncomfortable.

"I got your owl." He placed his hands in his pockets and stared at his Dad.

"Ronald, sit down," his mother said. He knew something was up when she used his full name.

He nodded, and agreed with a confused look on his face as he sat down next to Charlie.

"Ron, there's something major we have to ask you. Because of what happened during the war, we need someone to help George with the shop," she stated.

"Well, Bill or Fleur or Charlie, or Percy can help-oh." Pain filled his eyes as he thought about what they said.

"We know, it's a lot to ask, but we are all busy with our lives. You're someone George can rely on," his mum said.

"Mum, I haven't even decided what I wanted to do with my life yet. Harry and I have been offered to become Aurors, which is what Harry's considering. I thought of that, and I also thought about going back to school to complete my education. Hermione's going back at the end of Summer as well as Ginny," Ron protested.

"I know you want to think about becoming an Auror, but Ron, that can wait a few years. You can help George in the shop and then become an Auror," his mother replied.

"We know it's a big task to ask, maybe too much, but George needs help in the shop. He can't run it alone," his father said quietly as Ron looked at George. George had a hard expression on his face that Ron couldn't figure out. He caught Ron's gaze and looked down at the floor since his face was full of embarrassment.

Ron pounded his fists on the table out of anger making Fleur jump. He stood up so abruptly, that as he did so, his chair fell back hitting the floor hard.

"It's not fair! My whole life gets decided for me. I don't get to pick out anything. I don't even get new clothes. I get hand-me-downs from my brothers. Bloody hell, you'd think after I helped in the war, I'd get some respect, and be allowed to choose what I want. I'm of age after all. Mum, you're right, you are asking me to throw away my life and help someone else." He paused, he didn't mean to have an outburst like that, but they asked for it.

His face matched his red hair. He was angry, and he knew he showed it, but Ron hated each and every one of them at the moment. He knew his words were cold, and knew he hurt them but he didn't care.

"Ron, that was uncalled for," Charlie stated with a warning in his voice.

"I don't care. It's how I feel," he replied rudely with an equal look and hatred in his voice.

"Don't you dare talk to your brother that way." His father stood up and walked over to Ron.

"I can talk how I want, especially if my family decides stuff for me," Ron said to his father.

"I think it's best if you leave and think this over. You can come back when you've cooled down, " his father suggested. Ron could tell his father was mad with how he acted just by looking at the way he was standing.

They were standing neck and neck. Ron didn't like the situation at all, but knew they were right. He stared at his dad, and then at his family. Fleur didn't even look at him, she simply looked down at her hands folded in her lap.

"Bill?" Ron asked for some kind of help, some kind of sympathy from his oldest brother, but Bill looked away.

"Fine. I'll be in the garden until someone decides to wise up and let me decide my life," Ron said rudely.

In Ron's lifetime, he never thought he'd hear himself say he wanted to go back to school. He wanted to finish his education like everyone else got to do. He stormed out of the Burrow knowing he had hurt his family, but this wasn't fair. He wanted to be with Hermione, his relationship with her was still fresh, as the new stairs at Hogwarts. He wanted to train alongside with Harry to become two of the best Aurors the Ministry had ever had before. He wanted a lot of things, he just didn't know which one he wanted the most.

Ron also wanted to consider becoming an Auror like Harry. He knew it was something Harry thought of, but after he was offered a job along with Harry, he really wanted some time to think about becoming one. As soon as Ron came to the garden, he sat down cross legged on the grass staring at anything but the house. He leaned his hand on his legs and started to grumble quietly.

Footsteps came softly from behind him as he sat after a while of him being out there. He turned around to see who was coming up to him. To Ron's surprise he saw Hermione coming up the path. As she stood before him, Hermione conjured a blanket out of her wand, placed the blanket down on the grass, and then sat down next to him

"I thought you were reuniting with your parents," Ron stated(,) he tried not to smile at her, but couldn't help but feel happy to see her even if he was angry with the others. It's been a few months after the war since he has seen Hermione. Right after the funerals, Hermione left alone, found her parents and gave them their memory back. He thought she was still spending time with them when she came up from behind him.

"What, no, 'hello' or 'I've missed you'?" Hermione joked, her smile faded when Ron didn't laugh at something he normally would have laughed at.

When he didn't say anything she continued.

"Ron, we need to talk." He could tell she was both concerned and worried for her boyfriend.

"I don't want to talk about it. You of all people are brought away from reuniting with your parents to come and talk to me. They think you can change my mind. They're using you to help me see their way. But what about my way, Hermione? What about what I want to do? It isn't fair." He moved from the grass and sat down on the blanket next to her.

" I know you're upset, Ron, but they brought me here to talk to you. They thought you would want to hear from someone they know you trusted." she informed him.

"No, I don't want to hear what you say," he said bluntly with out looking at her. He started fiddling with his hands to keep his mind on something other than getting angry at her too. He didn't want to lash out in anger with her, the same way he did with his parents.

"I'm going to tell you anyways. You may not like it."

"If it's what they said in the house, I really don't want to hear it. They are asking too much for me," Ron said.

"I know, you're right. You also want to think about being an Auror. Ron, I know you. I know this is really hard for you to decide. They are asking entirely too much out of you, and it isn't fair to you to decide between an education and a job. " she agreed with him.

He looked at her stunned.

"Go on," he said as he continued to play with his hands. He wasn't use to being right and wanted to understand why he was right. Ron then saw an opportunity to take her hand into his. He had missed the warmth it gave him as they held hands. It was then when he let the smile escape as he continued to listen.

"They shouldn't make you choose. It's a decision you could regret for the rest of your life. But Ronald, think of this, George lost his brother. Sure, you all lost a brother, but he lost his twin. Someone that looked exactly like him. His partner in crime when it came to pranks, his partner who helped with the store, and helped with ideas. It's not fair to the both of you, but he didn't ask for his brother to die," she paused. "Just like you didn't ask to be forced to help out."

They sat quietly on the blanket for a while. He held her hand tight as he thought about her.

"What about us? We just started a relationship," he said quietly as he gently massaged her hand with his and then let go. To his surprise she laughed.

"We can still be boyfriend and girlfriend, but it will be hard, and we will have to work hard every day since we can't be together on a daily basis." Hermione smiled at him. He had forgotten how pretty her smile was.

"This isn't going to be easy," Ron said sadly as he frowned.

"Life isn't easy," she said taking back one of hands again, and squeezed it to comfort him. He sighed.

"I don't know. I really can't make up my mind in one night. I want to go back there with you, and I want to think of becoming an Auror, like Harry, but it is all happening so fast. How are we to make up our minds about growing up when we don't know what we want to do with our lives? I was counting on the Seventh year to help me decide what I really want to do. And now, it's like it's decided for me," Ron reasoned to himself and to Hermione.

"They have to think of what is best for George too, but they also need to consider your feelings," Hermione said sweetly as her big brown eyes stared at him with kindness and love. He loved Hermione, deep down he knew he did. He knew she was right, but didn't want to admit it out loud for he still wanted to consider all options.

"I really wish I knew what to do with my life. Why did the war have to change things? I hate change and don't know how to handle it on my own."

"That's the process of growing up. Life changes when you least expect it."

"Thank you, Hermione, for calming me down. I was ready to throw punches at someone, or break something in there. They did the right thing in asking you to come talk to me. I think I am going to tell them I need more time to think about what I'm going to do." he said to her.

"What are you going to do?"

"When I find out, I'll tell everyone at the same time. All I know now, is that I need to think about it. I need to escape somewhere for a while by myself to clear my head."

"Where will you go?" she asked as curiosity gleamed in her eyes as she looked at him.


	7. By: Kitty: Sirius: Chose Me

_**Disclaimer: I do not now nor will I ever own Harry Potter Series. **_

**Choose Me**

**House: **Hufflepuff

**Character:** Sirius Black

**Rating: K+**

**Author: **Kitty - Iheartu

Sirius paced the room, the white roses penetrating his nostrils and the bright lights harsh against his eyes. Yet he was content, completely out of his comfort zone of dark, concealed and solitary, but definitely content.

"Well old chap getting married. Never thought it would happen," Remus said, negating the privacy rule and barging on in to his changing room. Sirius smiled wider, nothing would ruin his mood today.

"Me either, makes this day more memorable," Sirius said pulling on his jacket.

"How about one last shot for old time sake," Remus said holding up a flask that had an orange liquid swirling in it. "You know before you become whipped," he added and Sirius barked with laughter.

"No one can tame the beast within me," he said highly holding his head up and taking the flask from Remus and bringing it to his lips.

"You won't be saying that a year from now with a young Sirius screaming in your ear," the werewolf smiled and Sirius paused the flask still at his lips tilted only slightly.

"Even with kids I will still rule the household," he shrugged taking a large swig from the flask.

"You underestimate the power of woman," Remus corrected.

"I have had enough experience with woman to know just how they work."

"Yes but have you ever married one?"

"Are you trying to make me leave before my wedding begins?" Sirius asked starring carefully at Remus.

"Is it working? Because you only have to turn left to run away," Remus asked.

"No," Sirius said sitting down on the couch.

"Good," Remus said pushing himself off the door. "Then let's go get married," he added grabbing his jacket and leaving down the hallway, Sirius close behind him.

"Hang on I will meet you there I forgot my button hole," Sirius said patting down his jacket. Remus nodded and continued forward. Sirius ran back into the room and looked on the dressing table where he left it. When it wasn't there he panicked and looked around the floor.

"It is beautiful," someone said and Sirius froze turning slowly, only to find Ginny Weasley sitting on the couch her arms on her knees and holding onto the Button Hole that she was focusing all her attention on. "But then again so is she," she added more to herself then to Sirius.

"Ginny what are you doing here?" Sirius asked trying not to snap at her, he had learnt before that was not a good idea.

"I wanted to drop off a card, to congratulate you and all, seeing as I wasn't invited," she looked up at Sirius now and gave him a smirk.

"You shouldn't be here," he said sternly.

"Why? We are friends aren't we?" she said in a mock innocence.

"If this is some cruel joke then stop it now. I love Courtney and we are getting married. You can't stop that," Sirius said moving closer and holding out his hand for the button hole.

"Always so defensive Mr. Black," she said placing the button hole in his hand but she didn't let it go. "Its too bad isn't?" she said starring at their hands.

"What is?" Sirius sighed, unable to snatch it for fear of breaking it.

"That it is not me that gets to hear you announce your undying love," she said letting go of the button hole and standing up. Sirius grabbed her arm to stop her from going.

"What happened between us was wrong," he said coldly. Ginny felt her stomach drop and stepped slightly back her arm still gripped in his.

"You can say that," she said regaining herself. "but it is only to hide your true feelings."

"Stop Ginny," Sirius sighed.

"Then let go," Ginny said softly. For a brief moment Sirius' grip got tighter on her arm then he let go dropping his arm to his side. Ginny was about to leave when Sirius grabbed her again this time around her waist and pulled her against him moving his face down to hers and letting his lips graze hers lightly. Ginny could feel him regretting it, so she pushed her body tighter to his and her lips against his, instantly he responded and his lips curled around hers.

As quickly as it started it ended and Sirius pushed Ginny away.

"Get out," he said icily.

"Sirius this is stupid. I love you, you clearly love me. You should have picked me," Ginny said.

"I am getting married," he said angrily.

"So that's it?" she asked. Sirius stepped away and Ginny smiled sadly. "I will always love you. And when you figure out you love me too I will be waiting," she said and without another word left him alone.

Sirius couldn't move. He wanted to leave the room leave the memories of Ginny behind and marry the girl of his dreams.

But who was she? Courtney or Ginny? Sirius placed his hand on the door and stood out into the hallway starring in both directions. Then he started walking.

"Sirius? You ok?" Remus asked.


	8. By:Monse:Harry: Undercover

**Title: **Undercover

**Character: **Harry Potter

**Name: **Slytherin Head (Monse)

* * *

Seven years. It had been seven years since the Final Battle of Hogwarts had ended. The threat of Voldemort was no longer a looming presence in their world. The Ministry had stood up from its corruption, punishing those who had supported Voldemort. Prejudice against Muggle-borns was no longer acceptable. Hogwarts had been restored to its original state, with stronger wards to protect it, and murals were placed to remember those who had fallen in battle. The portrait of Severus Snape now hung alongside the past Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts.

Twenty-five-year old Harry Potter sat in his small office cubicle writing off his last report for the week. He had asked for the weekend off so he could take Teddy to the famous Alton Towers resort. Teddy had heard the Muggle children that lived in Godric's Hollow talking about it and had begged his godfather to take him to Staffordshire where the Muggle boys had said it was. Arthur, who had been visiting along with Molly, had heard Teddy talk about the resort and told Harry that it was well known in the Wizarding community as well. However, because it was built by Muggles, most purebloods avoided the place at all costs.

Harry hadn't hesitated in saying yes. He had tried raising Teddy in both the Wizarding world and the Muggle world. He didn't want his godson to be like most of the purebloods, who never took the time to learn about Muggles and their way of life. Andromeda had supported Harry in his decision of how Teddy should be raised. After all, her husband, Ted, had been a Muggle-born, and he had shared plenty of things from the Muggle world with her.

After going to a public library to find out the address and phone number of the park, Harry had their reservations ready for the following month and had asked for his weekend off at the Ministry. Ginny would be staying home with their two-month-old, James Sirius Potter, since the little boy was very sensitive to loud noises. Ron had agreed to join them, so the three of them would be spending the weekend full of roller coasters and water park.

Lifting his eyes from the report he was writing, he looked at one of the few photographs that adorned his desk. Harry thought about how much simpler things would be if Hermione was still around to help him. Not one year after the final battle had ended, Hermione had mysteriously disappeared. Her parents didn't know where she was, or why she had left so suddenly. She had just shown up at their home one day and said her good-byes. He had been greatfull that she had stayed long enough to see Ginny and him marry.

Her abrupt departure had left Ron an emotional mess. The kiss the two of them had shared outside the Room of Requirement had allowed the red-head to think that Hermione and he would become a couple after the war and eventually get married. He had dreamed of living life just like his parents had; a cozy home, a loving wife, and many little red-headed children.

Hermione, it seemed, had had other plans. Ones that did not include settling down and becoming the next Mrs. Weasley. Luckily Ron, with the help of Harry and his family, had managed to move on and was now engaged to Lavender Brown. Their wedding was set for that coming spring.

As for Hermione, they had given up on trying to find her after three years of searching for her. If the Death Eaters hadn't found the three of them because of _her _spells, they knew that there was no way that they, her best friends, would be able to find her. It was plain as the sun shone that she did not want to be found by anyone. That didn't mean they didn't hear from her. She would send Christmas gifts each year for everyone. Accompanying the gifts was always a note saying that she was doing well and to not worry about her. At first, after she had left, the letters had ended with:

_P.S. -_

_Please, stop trying to find me. You're just wasting your time in doing so._

After three-years they gave up trying to find her, and her letters ended in a different way:

_P.S. -_

_We'll see each other soon._

Soon had turned into one year and then another, and Hermione still hadn't returned to England. They didn't stop wondering when she would return, but they had learned to stop getting excited every time the Floo flared up unexpectedly.

Signing his name at the bottom of his report, Harry waited for the ink to dry before rolling the scroll up and sealing it with his stamp. With a wave of his wand, his desk was once again visible and neat looking. All he had to do now was give his weekly report to his superior, a man by the name of Marcus Norton, and he was free from work until Monday morning.

Of course, with being Harry Potter; the-boy-who-lived and the Chosen One, his life was never meant to go the way he wanted it to. This was further proven by the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, walking into his office just as he was reaching for his coat that was draped on the back on his chair.

"Noo! I was almost free!"

Kingsley chuckled at Harry's expression. "Don't worry, Harry. I wont keep you for long. I just wanted you to know that some Aurors from across the pond are going to be working here in London. It seems that a serial killer by the name of Jake Anderson was spotted here in the country. We've been told not to worry, that they have their best people working on it and that they wont require our help."

Harry looked at Kingsley with a confused expression. "Where are they from?" he asked.

"North America."

"Canada, Mexico, United States?" Harry asked.

With a shrug, Kingsley answered, "They wouldn't tell me, so I can't tell you."

Harry couldn't help but think that it was a little odd that even Kingsley didn't know where they were from. "You don't think Hermione could be with them do you?" He couldn't help but be hopeful at the thought of finally seeing his best friend, even if it was in a dangerous situation.

"Not unless her name is either Matthew Barron or William Michalis."

Crestfallen, Harry could only mutter an, "Oh," before walking back to his chair and conjuring another one for the Minister. "This Jake bloke, who is he?" Harry asked in an attempt to draw his mind away from his bushy-haired friend.

"A Death Eater. He had been on low profile until about three months ago when he went on a killing spree in a small town near Maine. Apparently, he thought that enough time had passed for him to begin an Anti-Muggle campaign much like Voldemort's . So far, he's not getting much support from the wealthy aristocrats who had supported Voldemort during the second war, but he has been getting more creative with his attacks as of late. He was almost captured two weeks ago, near Quebec, but somehow he managed to escape from the Aurors.

With a raised eyebrow, Harry asked, "So, if they couldn't catch him over there, what makes them think they'll catch him here?"

"Matthew Barron and William Michalis aren't your typical Aurors, Harry," the Minister said with a small smirk.

"Really, now? What are they then?"

"They're from a special trained force."

"Special trained forced? You make it sound like they're some sort of 007 agents."

Being familiar with the Muggle hero, Kingsley chuckled. "In a way they are 007 agents. They have weapons we don't, that's for sure." Harry could sense a bit of jealousy in the man's voice as he said this. He didn't blame him though. Since he had joined the Auror force, Harry had tried to bring in new ideas, but many of them had been not been embraced with enthusiasm. He wondered briefly what sort of weapons these "special agents" had.

"As it stands," the older man said, breaking the silence that had settled upon them, "I want you to be ready to be called on at any minute. With men like Jake, it's better to be alert at all times, instead of waiting for other people to do the job. I want our people to be ready in case Barron and Michalis need our help."

Nodding his head in agreement, Harry stood from behind his desk, grabbed his report, took his coat from the back of his chair, and grabbed his satchel that was underneath his desk. Kingsley had followed suit and with a wave of his hand, the chair he had just vacated disappeared. "I'm sorry I brought this up now, I know you plan to take Teddy to Alton Towers, but the last thing I want is be ill prepared for the worst."

"Don't worry, Minister, I understand. If anything comes up, just send me a Patronus, and I'll make sure to have Teddy back to Godric's Hollow with Ron."

Kingsley nodded his head in appreciation and left Harry's small office. After making sure that he had everything, Harry left and dropped his report off at his superior's office, then made his way to the Floos to go home.

"...I'm going to make Uncle Harry take me on the Ripsaw! Don't worry, though, I'll make sure to hold on to Uncle Ron's hand so he's not too scared..."

Harry chuckled to himself as he heard his godson's excited voice flowing from the kitchen, where he knew Ginny and Kreacher were fixing up dinner. The blue-haired boy had been talking about the resort for weeks now and already knew what rides he was going to go on. Harry hadn't had the heart to tell the little boy that he might not be tall enough to ride some of them because of height restrictions.

Casting a cleaning charm on his coat to take off the soot, he placed his satchel on the nearest couch and made his way to the kitchen. He leaned against the door frame as he looked at his little family; Kreacher was busy setting the table, Ginny was stirring the food that was happily bubbling away on the stove, James was asleep in the small baby rocker that Neville had bought for him, and Teddy was standing on one of the chairs in front of the counter with papers scattered in front of him.

Scenes like these often made Harry wonder if his own father had had the pleasure of enjoying them before Voldemort had found them and ruined everything.

"Uncle Harry!"

The young Auror had enough time to brace his body before his godson had launched himself from the chair and ran up to give him a huge hug. He then grabbed the small boy and placed him on his hip as he made his way to Ginny, giving her a small kiss on the lips.

"Gross! I'm right here you know!"

"And your point is?" Harry asked, looking at his godson.

"I don't want to catch cooties from the two of you!"

Harry laughed at Ginny's confusion and promised to explain it to her later. Putting Teddy down on his feet, he gave the boy a gentle push between the shoulder blades, telling him to pick up his papers and wash up for dinner. As he watched Teddy, he couldn't help but think of how proud Remus and Tonks would be, or at how fast the child was growing. In a few years times, he'll be off at Hogwarts, possibly driving Filch mad.

A small hand caressing his cheek brought him out of his thoughts. "Harry? Are you okay, love?" Ginny's gentle voiced asked him.

Taking her hand and giving it a tender kiss on the knuckles, he smiled at her and said, "I'm fine, Ginny. Just a tad tired is all."

The next morning was a mad rush to make it out of the house on time. Ron had arrived early in the morning and helped Ginny in trying to wake Teddy from his deep slumber. The excited little boy who had declared the night before that he couldn't go to sleep, no longer cared that they were heading out for the weekend. All he cared about was the warm covers around his small frame and the soft pillow underneath his head. After much hassle, Ginny had all three boys sitting at the table and eating a warm breakfast, courtesy of Kreacher.

The plan for the day was to leave at quarter to six to avoid any heavy traffic, Harry had to wake up extra early to Apparate to the nearest Rental car retailer and drive back to his house. Taking a Portkey would have been easier, but it might have raised a few eye-brows if no one had seen them enter from the parking lot or had gotten off from the bus that took those who didn't want to pay parking fee. Not to mention that it was just easier to do things the Muggle way, at times. Teddy and Ron had been warned to watch what they said about their world; it wouldn't do if Harry had to Obliviate someone during their vacation.

Now, at half past seven, Teddy was snuggled in the back seat with a blanket around him as he slept away. Ron was sitting up front with Harry, resisting pushing all the little buttons in front of him. The car was definitely newer than the one his father had years ago, and it was obvious to Harry that he wanted to know what the car did. So, instead he gave him a map from the resort for him to look at.

"Merlin, how do these Muggles do it?" Ron asked, careful to keep his voice down. He was still amazed at all the rides the park had and what they did.

"Same way they made this car, Ron: science and technology."

Ron nodded his head and continued to study the map. "Hey, Harry?"

"Yes, Ron?"

"What's a geepee-es?"

They arrived at the hotel at half past ten. Teddy was finally wide awake and a step away from being Petrified by Ron because he couldn't stop jumping around with excitement. All it took for the boy to hold still was entering the lobby of the Alton Towers hotel. Harry slowly closed Teddy's mouth for him since the small boy had been standing with his mouth hung open and his eyes nearly popping out of his sockets. Turning to look at Ron, Harry had to refrain himself from laughing out loud. It seemed that the his best mate agreed with Teddy.

The lobby seemed to be a mixture of the Room of Requirement and the Quidditch World Cup Stadium. Near the center of the building was a velvet-red circular sitting area surrounding a statute of an elephant carrying an Arabic prince. The rails from the upper levels were made of a soft brown wood, which gave it a homey feel. Nothing about this place said, "If you don't have the money, you can't have fun." It was quite the opposite, to which Harry was glad, because Ron was already planning on paying him back for everything as soon as he got his next pay.

As they walked up to the register counter, Harry noted that the counter was made to look as if it were the holding area for guests' luggage; small suit cases, trunks, bags and other parcels seemed to be stacked one against the other to create the register counter. He would definitely take a picture of it before he left to show Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys what the hotel looked like.

"Welcome, to Alton Towers Hotel: name, please?" the young, freckled girl behind the counter asked.

"Harry Potter, room for three please." Taking out his Muggle identification and credit card, he gave them to the girl so she could verify that he indeed was who he said he was.

He saw, from the corner of his eye, as Ron was trying to lean over the counter to look at the computer screen. Of course, he didn't know what a computer screen was and became curious as to why the girl kept hitting buttons on the small tray in front of her. A sly stomp on his foot from Harry, and he turned around to admire the lobby once again.

"Here you are, Mr. Potter," the girl said as she gave him back his identification and credit card; oblivious to what had just occurred. "The Peter Rabbit room for three, correct?"

"Yes."

Typing more things into her computer, she printed out a paper and handed it to Harry to sign. Looking it over, it had his bill information and a waiver saying he would oblige by the hotel rules. Signing his name, he gave her back the pen and paper and waited for her to give them the key to their room.

"Your room is on the west wing of the building, third floor, room three-hundred and fifteen. We'll call a bellboy to take your luggage for you, and here is your key," she said, handing him a small plastic card. "Please make sure not to lose it, and keep it away from your mobile phone, otherwise it wont work anymore."

Nodding his head in understanding, Harry took the card and placed it in his wallet. Looking to his side, he noticed Teddy was crouched down, examining the counter, while Ron was behind them, examining the statute of the elephant.

"Enjoy your stay!" the freckled girl said as the bellboy entered the room and took their bags.

"Thank you," Harry said. Taking Teddy by the hand and calling Ron to follow them, the three of them followed the bellboy to their room. Harry tried to remember all of the turns as they made their way to the elevator. It wouldn't do if they were to get lost.

"Do you like working here?" He heard a small voice ask once they had stepped into the elevator. Looking down, he saw that Teddy was looking curiously at the young bellboy who seemed thrown off by the question.

"It's good pay, and the tips ain't bad."

Teddy's face scrunched itself up, in what Harry recognized as a frown. "So, you only work here for the money?"

The young man seemed to panic a bit at Teddy's outrage. "It's wha' grown-ups do. They work for the money, so we can buy our kids stuff."

"So, you don't get to go on all the rides and water slides?"

The young man chuckled but before he could answer, they had arrived at their floor. Walking out, they followed the bellboy to their room and waited as he put their bags next to their beds. Harry tipped the young man and walked him to the door. Before stepping outside, the bellboy turned around and said to Teddy, "The rides lose their appeal after the twentieth time."

As Harry walked back further into the room, he assured himself by the look of Teddy's face, that he had picked the right room. The Peter Rabbit room had seemed the best choice, especially since Teddy had grown up with Harry reading him stories about Peter Rabbit. Even though the pictures didn't move, the young boy still loved the stories more than he did 'Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump'.

The walls of the room were adorned to make it look as if they really were living inside a rabbit hole. Tree roots ran in every direction, across the walls and the ceiling. There were two beds in the room, one was a twin, and the other was queen size, each with soft blue covers. Above each of the beds there was a picture of Peter's family; one as they sat around the breakfast table, and the other as they read around the fireplace.

"Well, this is certainty cozy," Ron said as he sat down on one of the beds.

Teddy had taken the camera from Harry's bag and was taking pictures of the room. Once he was done, Harry took the camera from him and placed it in his jacket. He didn't want Teddy using up all of the disposable cameras that they had bought.

Looking at this watch to check on the time, he said, "Okay, so it's almost noon. Do you lot want to get lunch first or just go straight into the park?"

"Park!"

"Food!"

Harry tried to keep the twitch of his lips from being noticed as Ron and Teddy glared at each other. It was obvious that Ron was hungry, especially with how loud his stomach was growling, but Teddy on the other hand, was all set to go on every ride the part had to offer. Harry didn't think they would be able to cover the entire park in two days, but he knew that when Teddy got that determined look in his eyes, which he had now, there was no stopping his godson from achieving his goal.

Lucky for Ron, Teddy's stomach decided to let itself be known by growling almost as loud as Ron's. Harry couldn't help the chuckle that crossed his lips as Teddy's hair changed to red in embarrassment.

Looking at the map he had taken from Teddy's jacket, Harry checked where the nearest food court was inside the park. He thought it would save a lot of time if they just picked something quick from inside the park and then walked to whatever Teddy wanted to ride first.

"Teddy, do you know what you want to ride first?"

The young boy's eyes lit up with excitement as he took the map back from Harry and spread it across the twin bed. Harry then saw that he had missed the small sticky notes attached to it. He was certain that the organizer in Teddy came from Remus, as he had no memory of Tonks ever being a careful planner.

The journey to the park would have been easy, had it not been for Ron wanting to inspect everything that was new to him. Teddy began to get impatient and actually threatened to withhold the location of every sweet shop from the red-head.

After much hassle, they soon found themselves inside the park and looking once again at the map that Teddy had with him. Quickly finding a food cart, they made their way to the first ride, "_Oblivion". _No matter how much Harry and Teddy had warned Ron that eating before going onto _Oblivion _was a bad idea, he learned his lesson the hard way when ten minutes later, he was bent over a trash can spilling out his lunch.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Ron?"

"I think— eating before going on that evil thing— was a bad idea."

Harry refrained from saying anything and just handed his best mate the water bottle he had purchased before; when Ron had gotten his food. There were just some things that Ron needed to learn first hand. Knowing that it was a bad idea to eat heavily first and then ride a roller coaster was one of them. When he was sure Ron wouldn't collapse, he guided them to a nearby bench, and Teddy graciously allowed Ron five minutes to rest before he dragged them to another ride, "_Rita"._

As soon as Ron saw the name of the ride, he stood his ground and refused to get on. "No, way! Anything that has the same name as Rita Skeeter can't be good for anyone!"

Harry privately thought that Ron had a point. The ride didn't look any better than _Oblivion _did, but Teddy was already standing in line and shouting at Harry and Ron to hurry up. "Well, Ron, if Teddy can do it, so can we. Right?"

Ron simply threw a small glare at Harry before slowly walking to stand in line with Teddy.

Harry was absolutely convinced that Teddy could have easily faced Voldemort and laughed right in the monster's face. The kid knew no fear. Even Harry had felt the effects from riding on the _Air _roller coaster, yet, Teddy had walked away without even the slightest sign of dizziness. Harry was sure he got his nerves of steel from Tonks.

Luckily, for Ron and Harry, they had told Teddy that he could only go on four roller coasters during their weekend stay, and the rest of the time would be planned out by either Harry or Ron.

Both men looked at the last ride on Teddy's list for that day: _Ripsaw. _Teddy had a huge smile on his face as he looked at the people getting off the ride, while Harry and Ron prayed to Merlin, that the rust that was visible on the ride was really just paint and that it was perfectly safe to their seats in the front row, Harry tried to prepare himself for the ride. Ron sat next to him whispering to himself, "It'll soon be over," as a mantra. Harry thought that Ron now had a new fear besides spiders.

Soon enough, everyone was strapped in, and the conductor was at his station ready to start the ride. With a small lurch the huge machine soon began to slowly make it's move. Harry felt his heart lodge itself at his throat as the carriage rose high above the ground and suddenly flipped over twice before it swung backwards. It swung back and forth before rising once again and staying up as it slung them forward. Teddy gave a shout of excitement as the ride suddenly stopped after rising high again.

There was a loud creaking sound, making Harry wonder if the ride was about to fall apart. But before he could check if the conductor was going to stop the ride, the carriage slowly lurched forward until they were all hanging upside down above the small pool that was beneath them. Small fountains of water shot up, spraying everyone before the ride swung forward again. Wiping the water from his eyes, Harry turned to look at his godson who was cheering for more along side a few of the other people who were on the ride.

With a few small swings, the ride came to a full stop and their safety harnesses were removed. Harry stood on shaky legs as he made his way off the platform and onto solid ground. Once the three of them were together, Ron was the first to speak, taking Harry by surprised. "Bloody hell! Let's go on it again!"

"Can we, Uncle Harry? Please! Please!" Teddy asked putting on his best puppy dog eyes.

Before he could answer, there was a loud bang and screams coming from somewhere near them. Drying off his glasses, Harry quickly looked for the source of the commotion. Another bang and soon the hairs on the back of his neck were standing at end. Something was definitely wrong.

Suddenly, there was a huge ball of fire rising into the sky from where the _Air _roller coaster was. Shrieks of fear were heard as people began to push each other in an effort to get away. Harry quickly grabbed Teddy's hand and dragged them away from the screaming crowed.

"Harry! What the hell's going on?" Ron shouted.

The green-eyed Auror could only shrug in response, not knowing what was going on. Security guards were quickly appearing from all over the place trying to guide people safely out of the park.

Amidst all the panic, no one took notice of the silver lynx that made its way towards Harry. Floating in front of three of them, it spoke,_"Jake has been spotted at Alton Towers, Michalis and Barron need your help. Find them and arrest Jake."_

The sense of deja vu hit Harry hard, as he took in Kingsley's message. His whole body felt numb with shock before his Auror training kicked in, allowing him to think clearly. He needed to get Teddy out of there.

"Ron!" Harry shouted at his best mate. "Take Teddy and go back to the house, I want you to get Ginny and the baby, then take them all to the Burrow!"

Ron simply nodded in response and began to pull Teddy towards him. The blue-haired boy fought against him, trying to loosen the hold that Ron had on his arm as he was pulled away from his godfather. Finally freeing his arm, he ran towards Harry, weaving his way through the panicked crowd, ignoring Ron's shouts.

"No! I'm not leaving without you, Uncle Harry!" The small boy had his tiny arms wrapped firmly around Harry's legs.

"Teddy, listen to me." Forcing the boy's arms from his legs, he knelt down to look directly into Teddy's eyes. Harry forced himself to calm down. His godson didn't need to know how truly scared he was. "You have to go back," he explained. "Your Aunt Ginny will be worried about you, and so will Grandma Dora! Think about how they'll both feel if you got hurt!"

"But what about you?"

Harry took a moment before answering and wiped the tears running down Teddy's face. "I can take care of myself, Teddy," he said firmly. "It's my job to make sure _you_ don't get hurt, not the other way around. Don't worry about me, I'll be okay."

"Promise me? Promise that you'll come back!" Teddy shouted as he grabbed Harry's hands in his own small ones. His chest hitched with body wracking sobs, as the tears kept running. It broke Harry's heart to see his godson like this. He knew what the small boy was looking for. Harry was the closest thing he had to a father. He needed reassurance that he wouldn't lose him like he had Remus, the father he had never known. His father who had died in battle.

"I promise."

"And you always keep your promises, right?"

"Always."

Throwing his arms around Harry's neck, he said, "I love you, Uncle Harry."

"I know, tyke, I love you too." Forcing himself to pull away, he looked up to see Ron standing in front of him. Standing up, he picked up Teddy and handed him to Ron. "Now, go!"

Harry stood still as he watched Ron running into the heavy crowd that was trying to make it outside the park. He knew his best mate would take care of his godson. Ron would make sure that nothing happened to Teddy. That thought alone allowed Harry to focus on what he had to do now.

Running in the opposite direction of the screaming crowed, he tried to find the source of the blast. The sooner he could apprehend Jake, the sooner he could call the Ministry to come in and fix everything. He hoped they could come up with a good excuse for the damage that the park had suffered, and if Jake was as psychotic as Bellatrix, Harry knew that the chances of the park being intact would be slim.

Quickly coming to a halt, Harry rushed inside the nearest building. There were security guards scouting the area, making sure that everyone got out. He didn't feel like stunning them in case they saw him.

Crouching down, he looked around the building he had rushed into and saw it was a fast food restaurant. As quickly as he could, he moved towards the counter and swiftly jumped over it. He moved all the way into the back, near the walk-in freezer.

"Don't move," he heard a deep voice behind him say as something cold was pressed up against his neck.

Harry felt his heart stop as he took in the situation. Kingsley had been wrong, and it wasn't Jake. A Death Eater would never use a Muggle weapon. They wouldn't want to soil their hands holding such a thing. Whoever was running this terrorist attack, they were Muggles, and he was in trouble.

"Are you done having your fun?" he heard another voice say. This one belonged to a woman. There was something familiar about that voice that made Harry feel as if he were the one being scolded.

_'Hermione?' _

"Oh, come now, Jean. Don't be such a sour puss."

"Well, I'm _sorry_, Tobias, but your fun is keeping us from getting to Jake. So, unless you wish to spend a month sleeping on the couch, I suggest you focus."

The man gave a slight sigh as he took the gun away from Harry's neck. "Yes, mother," the man said in a mocking voice.

Turning around slowly, Harry was sure it was all really a nightmare, and he was still at home sleeping. There was no way that his eyes were truly seeing what he thought he was seeing, because it was simply impossible that Severus Snape and Hermione Granger were standing in front of him.

After all, Severus Snape was dead. They had witnessed when Voldemort's pet, Nagini, had practically ripped his throat out. There had been too much blood on the ground; too much for the man to have had any chance of surviving. Maybe it was a disguise. Perhaps, these people were actually Michalis and Barron, and to make sure that Jake didn't see them, they took the appearance of the two most unlikely people to be in England.

"It's rude to stare, Potter."

_'There's no denying it, though, with that tone, it's definitely Severus Snape,'_ Harry sheepishly though, hoping that the man wasn't looking into his mind. "Sorry, Professor," he mumbled.

Severus simply rolled his eyes and took a seat on the cold floor, growling a, "I'm not your Professor anymore, thank Merlin." Harry noticed a huge bag that was in front of his former Professor and watched as the man took out two small boxes from it. The man looked healthy, and more leaner than the last time Harry had seen him. His skin seemed less shallow and his hair was no longer greasy looking, but it was neatly tied back, keeping it away from his eyes. The only proof that he had been attacked by Nagini were the scars that zigzagged across his neck.

"How?" was all Harry could manage to say.

" 'How', what, Potter?" Severus asked as he continued to pull things out from the bag.

There were many "hows" that were running through Harry's head. _"How did you survive? How is it you got away? How do I know it's really you?"_

"Harry?"

The woman who resembled his best friend walked up to him and took his hands in hers. "It really is us," she said as she squeezed his hands in comfort. "This is what I meant when I said, 'We'll see each other soon'."

"So, the two of you are Michalis and Barron?"

Hermione nodded her head, "The Canadian Ministry didn't want the Ministry of Magic to know who they were sending to catch Jake. So, they gave us fake names, and a batch of Polyjuice potion so we could keep undercover."

"Polyjuice?" Harry asked, wondering why they weren't using it.

"The batch they gave us was actually just a Boil cure. We didn't notice till we had arrive here that they had given us the wrong potion." Harry forced himself to stand his ground as he watch the murderous look in Hermione's eye's grow more intense. He felt sorry for the poor sucker who had mixed up the potions. "Look," she said, trying to focus again on the current situation. "I promise that as soon as this is all over, I'll explain it all to you. After all, I owe you that much."

"Yes," Severus said as he stood up and walked towards them. "We'll all have a nice little _chat _about this over a _nice warm cuppa,_ but first, we have a Death Eater to capture."

"Right," Harry said as he watched them strap gun holsters around their waist and legs. "Why _do_ you guys have Muggle weapons?"

Severus smirked at him as he took out the gun from the holster. "This, Potter, isn't a regular Muggle gun. You see these?" He dug into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out three different color capsules. To Harry, they looked like mini glow in the dark sticks. "These, are actual spells. The red ones are Stunners, the yellow ones are Stinging Hexes, and the green ones— well, I'm sure I don't need to tell you what the green ones do."

"It was all Severus' idea," Hermione chimed in as she made sure that her holster was strapped on snugly. "But I was the one who figured out how to contain the spells into those shells."

"You have the Avada Kedavra spell as a bullet. Why do you have the Avada Kedavra spell as a bullet?" Harry said, almost shouting.

"Relax, Harry. We've never used them. We just have them as a precaution," Hermione said trying to reassure her best friend.

"Hermione, I can't 'relax'! 'Relax', is not in my vocabulary at this moment. I mean, I haven't seen you in six years, and _he..._" Harry said pointing a finger at Severus, "issuppose to be _dead_! Dead. Not alive. Not walking and talking with you and me. Not even sleeping on your couch! So tell me, how can you expect me to relax?"

"Potter, if you don't cease with your hysterics, I will shoot you," Severus said in a deadly tone which made the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stand at end but forced him to keep quiet.

Harry watched as Hermione sent Severus a small glare before turning to stand in between them. "Enough of this," she said in a serious tone. "Like I said, we'll explain everything later. Right now, we need to form a plan. I'll go out and create a distraction. As soon as Jake sees me, he'll lower his guard. That's when the two of you will Stun him from behind."

"Absolutely not!" Severus hissed at the same time that Harry said, "Hermione, are you insane?"

"What makes you think he's going to lower his guard?" Severus asked her.

"Simple," she said with a small shrug of her shoulders. "I'm a woman. He doesn't think that a woman is strong enough to take him on. When he sees me, he'll think that he's got an easy prey."

Harry simply shook his head as they turned to look at his bushy-haired friend. "Hermione, again, are you insane? What makes you think I'm going to let you go out there as bait?"

Harry almost flinched back at the scornful look Hermione gave him. "Because, Harry James Potter, you couldn't stop me seven years ago. Therefore, you wont be able to stop me now." With that, she left the two of them and ran out of the building.

Both men looked at each other in disbelief before rushing out the back way. They had to make sure that they got to Jake before he even saw Hermione.

As they stepped out of the building, they heard another blast go off. Harry could hear the sounds of sirens off in the distance and knew that time was now of the essence. "We should split up, don't you think?" he asked Severus.

Severus simply nodded in agreement and took off right away to find Hermione. Harry watched as the other man ran and was surprised when there was another blast, sending Severus flying sideways. The young Auror ran towards the Potions master. "Snape, are you okay?" he asked.

"Never been better," Severus said as he pushed away the-boy-who-lived. Another blast went off two meters away from them, forcing them to cover their eyes as dirt blew off in all directions, mixing in with all the smoke.

Severus quickly scrambled to his feet, pulling Harry with him. "Run, you idiot!"

Harry tore across the grounds right alongside Severus, as several blast began to go off all around them. The brief thought of how Hermione had managed to avoid all the bombs crossed Harry's mind before he was thrown backwards by a blast that went off a few paces from him.

Opening his eyes, he noticed a man in Death Eater robes running towards them. Flipping on his stomach, Harry quickly shot the man with a Stunning Hex. The man blocked it, but not before he was hit by a Stinging Hex from Severus.

"That's enough, Jake," Severus said to the man as they both held their weapons in front of them.

"Well, well, well, Severus Snape, back from the grave, I see. I'll send you back soon enough," the man said in a hoarse voice as he swiftly flicked his wand and another blast went off to the right of Severus. It was all Jake needed to cast Incendio on Severus.

On his feet, Harry quickly waved his wand, trying to push Severus away. Instead of getting hit full force with the spell, it hit Severus on the left side of his body before the man put it out with wandless magic and fell to his knees.

A loud growl alerted Harry as Jake tried hitting him with a Stunning spell. Harry managed to conjure a Protego shield before sending a Confundus Charm towards Jake. He missed as Jake threw himself away from the charm and Disapparated away.

Harry stood completely still as he tried to figure out where Jake was. Another blast went off, hitting him just like it had Severus. Feeling the air knocked out of him, he barely registered as Severus managed to disarm Jake, but not before the other man ran away again.

"Potter, are you hurt?" Severus asked him as he gingerly walked towards him.

"Yeah," was all Harry could manage to say, as he tenderly fingered his ribs.

Both men began to walk away when a loud voice rang through the park. "I'm not done with you boys yet!"

Before they could comprehend what he meant; the biggest explosion they had witnessed yet occurred. _Ripsaw _was completely torn away by a huge blast that sent Severus and Harry flying through the air.

Harry hadn't felt anything so painful since his fifth year when Severus had tried teaching him Occlumency; his head felt as if it were ready to split in half, his back was also hurting him badly, four Bludgers to the back is what he would describe the pain as. Holding his head with one hand, he slowly raised himself on one arm to look around him.

Smoke rose from all around them, effectively keeping them away from the Muggles as their firemen tried to control all the explosions. Metal from the roller coasters groaned as it fell, shaking the ground with each piece that hit it. Harry could hardly breathe because of all the smoke making its way to his lungs. He didn't dare move from where he was lying though; it was too hard to see where the metal frames were falling. He didn't want to risk getting hit by one.

Looking around him, he saw that Severus was lying on his side, his arm twisted at a strange angle, and the skin from his left side a blistering red. Harry knew that the man was hurt badly. They needed to get him to St. Mungo's as soon as possible. He knew he had some broken ribs himself. If only he could find Hermione, then they could get out before the Muggles got to them.

He wished he could yell out for her, but if Jake had somehow survived the blast, then it would be giving his position away. The only comforting thought, was that she hadn't been anywhere near the explosions.

Searching the ground near him, he tried to find his wand. Even if he couldn't send a Patronus, he could at least stop the bleeding from the cut just above his eye. It wasn't deep, but there was too much blood falling, making it hard for him to see.

The crunching noise of the ground alerted him that someone was behind him. Turning on his back, he quickly rolled over as a red shot was fired at him, hitting the place where his hand had been. Scrambling to his feet, Harry ran, trying to take cover from the shots being fired at him.

"_Bastard, he must have taken the guns away from Severus when we were down,"_ Harry thought as he kept running.

"You can run, Potter, but you can't hide! Not when I have your wand!"

Cursing under his breath, Harry ducked as another shot was thrown at him, hitting the metal plate he was hiding behind. Jake might have his wand, but because he hadn't won it from him, it wasn't working like it should. Harry knew it was the only reason why Jake was using only the gun. Concentrating, he tried to summon his wand, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't do it.

Another shot hit the plate, this time burning a hole right through the metal. A loud groaning sound rang throughout the park and alerted Harry to his mistake. In his haste to take cover from the shots being fired by Jake, he hadn't noticed that his hiding place was right underneath the _Air_ roller coaster. Looking up, he saw as one of the rails started to quake as bolts began to fall all around him. Running, Harry tried to put some distance between himself and the collapsing ride.

A flash of red made him halt as Jake continued to fire at him. Beams began to fall around him as he tried to dodge both them and the shots. In all of his distraction, he failed to see a beam behind him, and fell backwards as his feet hit it. Looking up, he braced himself as the sign from one of the nearby stores was hit by a beam, causing it to fall on top of him.

His whole body felt numb with pain, and he felt the sign pinning him to the ground from the waist down. His ears rang from the crash, but he could see that the beams had stopped falling. Laughter from his right told him that Jake had been luckier and managed to avoid being hit. With panic racing through his blood, Harry tired to lift the sign enough for him to move from under it, but it was too heavy. His back and ribs were already killing him; he had no more strength left.

Turning his head, Harry watched helplessly as Jake walked up to where he laid, the gun held in front of him, pointed directly at Harry.

It seemed, his luck had finally run out. The Boy-Who-Lived would be no more.

Harry looked at the gun pointed at his face and closed his eyes. The last thoughts that ran through his mind as he heard the click of the trigger were those of Ginny, of their baby boy and his godson, Teddy, who was about to lose another father.

"_I'm sorry, Teddy."_


End file.
